IWTS Slipping through my fingers
by blakes boogie
Summary: I Write The Song entry 2012 - Slipping through my fingers - Mamma Mia A little heart warming fic about a mothers feelings as her daughter get ready for the biggest day of her life. I had a few problem with FF so I apologise if you get notified of a new story - it is the fic I posted previously


**I Write the Songs - CONTEST ENTRY**

TITLE: Slipping through my fingers – Mamma Mia – Meryl Streep watch?v=voeoY-m0cmQ

CHARACTERS: Sookie, Pam, Eric, Alcide

DISCLAIMER: All characters belong to Charlaine Harris.

Sitting in my brand new underwear and stockings, with just a silk robe wrapped around me, I gazed at my reflection in the mirror and thought I was looking good for someone in her mid-forties. My legs were still firm, my boobs still roughly where they should be (without surgical help) and the crow's feet were hide-able with the right foundation. I was in the process of putting my make up on; Janice had done my hair first and was currently working on Pam. The activity in the house was frantic. I was glad Pam and Alcide had decided on a late afternoon wedding as I would have hated doing all of this too early in the day.

I was truly thankful that Eric had seen fit to install a decent air-conditioning system the summer before. I don't think the old one would have coped with so many people in the old farmhouse. We hadn't been back to the farmhouse here in Bon temps for ages. We had moved to Shreveport for the better schools but we had stayed even after Pam had left to go onto college. We kept telling ourselves we kept the house in Bon Temps as a weekender, but we rarely used it and neither of us could bear to part with the house for sentimental reasons.

Eric and I had spent a lot of time in this old house when we were first courting. It gave us the privacy any new relationship craves but also because I couldn't afford to keep travelling back and forth to Shreveport on the money I made at Merlotte's. Gran had left this house to me and I felt it important to keep it in the family, it had been owned and occupied by a Stackhouse for over one hundred and fifty years and I didn't want to be the generation to change that. I still felt as comfortable as ever sitting in my old bedroom. Pam was across the hall being primped and primed, getting ready for her big day. We had cleared all but the dressing table out of that room so there would be space to move around Pam and more importantly space for the dress; if it was any bigger it would need its own zip code.

I could hear the shower shut off and knew Eric would be coming out of the bathroom soon and would need some space to get ready. He was so nervous the night before, worried about saying the wrong thing or standing on the wrong side but when he woke this morning all of his nerves seem to have gone – I think they had transferred to me during the night. My tummy was a writhing mess of tension and worry.

I had a sudden thought that the table flowers had not been placed correctly. In my panic I made it to the door before realising my state of undress! I settled for peeking through the curtain where I could see the open marquee out in the yard and the purple and pink roses were as straight and as precisely placed as we had left them this morning. I kept having these errant thoughts that would make my panic spike.

"Mmmmm." I felt his arm circle my waist, he bent to place a gentle kiss just below my ear, humming as he laid a trail of kisses down my neck to my bare shoulder.

I sank back into his arms; I think it might have been the first time I had relaxed in the past fortnight. I was suffering with more stress now than when I was preparing for my own wedding!

"Shouldn't you be dressed by now?" I knew Eric wanted to be outside so he was there to welcome guests and to oversee the valets.

"What's the time?" He raised my wrist and looked at my watch. "We have a spare five minutes." He turned me in his arms and kissed me, pulling me into him and bending me back slightly. Is it wrong that even after all of these years he can still make my heart pound like no other? As handsome as the day we met, his hair was shorter now but still as blond and as thick. He kept in shape so his figure was much the same if not a little broader in the shoulders.

Breaking the kiss I said, "We need to get a wriggle on; Pam would have a fit if we're not ready." He hung his head in resignation knowing that I was right. He gave me one last kiss before turning to pick up his boxers, giving me an eyeful in the process. I had to shut my eyes or we would definitely be very late.

I slipped into my dress, getting Eric to zip me up. He took the opportunity to nibble my ear. I batted him away with a smile on my face and watched as he bent to pull up his pants and tuck in his crisp white shirt. He always made a tux look good, better than most other men, but I think I might be biased. I grabbed my shoes and left the bedroom before I got completely sidetracked by my gorgeous husband.

I hurried down the hall to the kitchen catching a glance of Pam still done up in rollers. I found my corsage and concentrated on attaching it to my dress without stabbing myself with the pin; blood spatter would not be a good look. My hands were sweaty and shaking and the pin wouldn't do what it was supposed to. In my struggle I hadn't noticed Bill coming in the back door. He took the flowers from me.

"Let me, before you destroy this lovely arrangement." Bill had the southern drawl down pat. He could have been in 'Gone with the Wind'. He worked with Eric but I knew neither of them liked each other very much, I think that could have been my fault. I had dated Bill for a little while when we were younger but he had cheated on me with an ex of his. Eric had been the person to tell me which angered Bill no end. Bill and I evolved a friendship of sorts as he used to live in the house across the cemetery; he still owns the Compton house but he now lives with Lorena (the ex) in Shreveport. I was glad to see he had not brought his wife with him. Eric and I had an awful argument over inviting Bill but I felt it proper, as we would be holding the wedding at the farm house and he was technically our neighbour. Eric had relented but was not at all happy about it.

I swear I could physically feel the temperature of the kitchen drop as Eric came into the room. Bill was either oblivious to it or was choosing to ignore my husband's looming presence behind me. In a way I was glad Bill was having as much trouble with the wayward pin as I had. It gave Eric the chance to exert his male dominance and take the corsage from Bill and position and pin on the first attempt. Nothing was said but Bill backed away and as he was going through the door I managed to thank him for at least trying. I meant it as a nice gesture but I think it came out as a criticism rather than a compliment. Oops, I would have to try and talk to him later. As if reading my mind Eric began to laugh.

"You, wife of mine, have nothing to apologise for. It is not your fault he is inadequate in almost every way."

"It's a good job I love you, ego and all..."

I left Eric smirking in the kitchen and went to check up on Pam. I walked in on her and Janice, Alcide's sister giggling like school girls.

"Don't you spoil your makeup young lady."

With the way those two carry on I knew it was only a matter of time before they were crying with laughter. It was lovely to see Pam so happy and not stressed out but I had to try and keep her on track.

"You've got twenty minutes girls, there's no time to mess around as you both still have to get into your dresses."

I heard them descend into giggles the moment I walked away from the doorway and just hoped they would be ready on time. I knew I would have to hurry them along again, but I couldn't help but indulge them. I decided to go and find Felicia, the other bridesmaid. She might be able to rein them in enough to be on time.

After sending Felicia back with the express instruction to hurry Pam and Janice along I went to double check the tables once more before meeting and greeting guests.

Eric and I stood welcoming people and passing them onto the ushers to be seated, we didn't have much time to talk to each other but I knew we would later. I think Eric was having as much trouble as I was with today, he was just better at hiding it. Our little girl was finally growing up. Eric had put Alcide through hell when they first announced their engagement; I think he felt bypassed as Alcide had not formally asked for Pam's hand. I had tried to explain to Eric that things were different nowadays and that kids of today don't tend to hold to such traditions but he just replied that traditions slip because people like me let them. That hurt at the time but I did kind of see his point.

As the last few people hurried down the drive (I suspected they had had to park out on the main road.) Eric gave me a hug and a kiss and we went back into the house to get into our positions.

oOoOo

I came down the aisle first holding the hand of my niece Adele; at only two years old she was adorable and threw her rose petals with complete abandon. Jason and Michele were watching their little girl, the youngest of nine children. I assumed Jason didn't believe in contraception; either that or he liked his wife barefoot and pregnant! If I was completely honest with myself I was jealous of Jason, I had always wanted a large family but Eric and I were obviously only destined to have one. Pam was a joy and I loved every minute of her childhood but I would have loved a few more children. We had never really investigated why we had such trouble conceiving, I had once suggested it could be a low sperm count but the weeklong sulk that followed stopped me from ever mentioning it again. I knew I was lucky to have Pam but just occasionally I gave into that twinge of jealousy.

Not today though, I gave myself a mental shake and carried on down the aisle to our positions in front of the altar. The altar had been made by Jason and he had done a damn fine job. It was the rustic country chic that Pam wanted. Flowers had been woven into the lattice work of the arch surrounding the altar and the scent was almost heavenly.

Adele and I turned in time to see Trey and Felicia come down the aisle and take their places they were followed by Alcide's best man, Quinn (I don't think that was his real name but I had never heard him called anything different) and Janice. Quinn winked at me which made me blush. He had tried to hit on me at the rehearsal dinner, I hoped he hadn't known who I was at the time because if he did that would just be ewwwww.

Alcide was standing eagerly watching for his future wife to appear. I gasped as I caught the first glance of Pam and Eric. She looked beautiful; the dress was over the top with every square inch covered with crystals so it gleamed in the late afternoon sun. It was so her; she had very definite ideas about what she wanted and we had had hell trying to find it. Eric ended up paying for the dress to be hand made from scratch after months of visiting dress shops with no success. Eric was the perfect proud father; he was radiant and beaming with joy. A single tear rolled down my cheek as I watched my baby girl walk down the aisle towards becoming a woman, accompanied and supported as always by her doting father.

I spent the service breathing deep trying to control my emotional response. Eric held my hand as we watched Pam and Alcide say their vows. I was so happy for Pam, I knew she was going to be happy with Alcide and I knew he loved her, warts and all. My daughter could be a bit of a brat at times but Alcide seems to accept that and he seems to handle her rather well. I am safe in the knowledge that Pam has found herself a husband who can not only care for her but who can also stand up to her. The fact that Alcide is not dressed in a pink waistcoat attests to that!

After the 'I do's' they made their way back down the aisle as man and wife. I was struck by a sudden bout of melancholy; I was losing my baby girl. She wouldn't need me now, when she was in trouble she would turn to her husband (as it should be) but it made me feel redundant. I didn't know how to handle these feelings but Eric being ever observant leaned down to place a gentle kiss on my cheek and whispered.

"She will always need her mother, no matter what happens."

It was sometimes spooky how well Eric knew me.

We were directed this way and that by the photographer and I was exhausted by the time we were allowed to enter the marquee and sit down.

Pam had made the decision that she wanted both me and her father to give a speech, I think she was trying to involve me as much as possible but also to pad out the speeches as Alcide had no one but his best man to make a speech.

The speeches were funny at times and heartfelt at others. Eric did a great job and I was so proud of him. Quinn, the best man made a good attempt at comedy but I was not in the mood to laugh. I was finding it increasingly difficult to listen to the words being said. My stomach had gone from twisting in knots all morning to disappearing all together. I was struck dumb by the feeling of loss. I knew I was over reacting and I knew I was being a bit melodramatic but I couldn't help it.

Quinn introduced me as the next to speak. I was really glad I had decided to do what I had; I really don't think my voice would have worked properly for long. But I was hoping it would survive through the few words I did want to say.

"My sweet darling girl. I wish you and Alcide the best for the future and only want you to know that me and your father will always be here whenever you need us." I reached down to grasp Eric's outstretched hand as I tried to swallow a sob. "I have struggled to find the right words ever since you asked me to do a speech but I did manage to find a song that seemed to say it all..."

As the music played and the words started Pam stood and hugged me and that is where we both stayed for the length of the song.

"I love you Mom, I will always need you and Dad." Dropping her voice a little lower she whispers, "I will need your help when junior arrives."

She leant back and put her finger to her lips to indicate I shouldn't say anything out loud. I looked towards Alcide and he had a stupid grin on his face and nodded. I knew then that he knew too. I was so glad for them both and suddenly a new purpose ignited in me. I was to be a Grandma; I was going to be needed to help with the next generation. For the first time since they announced their engagement I felt excited and optimistic for the future.

I watched as Pam and Alcide took to the floor for their first dance with a light heart and a burning purpose.

Eric squeezed my hand as we watched our Pam twirl around the dance floor.

"What has you so happy Mrs Northman?"

"Watching the future..."

I led my curious husband out on to the floor to join in the first dance.


End file.
